Spatial Constructions of Tombs and Arrangements of Social Relationships

Abstract

Tombs are social spaces that manifest relationships between the dead and the living and construct social order. As eternal resting places for the dead, they are also both burial spaces and cultural spaces that teach and transmit the social status, reputation, and family traditions of illustrious ancestors. In this sense, tombs are not simply physical spaces holding human remains but structural manifestations of the communal relationships surrounding the living and the deceased. They also create cultural identity for the deceased through historical memory.